It's good to know how to do it, but a quality processor does better work in less time for less money than I can.
I do have great memories of a bunch of deer hanging in the barn, and the fellowship underneath as we did the work.
It's good to know how to do it, but a quality processor does better work in less time for less money than I can.
I do have great memories of a bunch of deer hanging in the barn, and the fellowship underneath as we did the work.
الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب
I started out taking deer to a butcher.
Then did my own cutting to save some money.
I used to borrow a book on butchering venison from the library
each fall. (Should have bought one myself.)
Can't recall the title but it showed very good ways to get a deer cut up
and in the freezer.
I haven't got a deer for quite a while. Getting slower and can't
stand the cold as well.
Yesterday, though, I put a ruffed grouse in the freezer.
We plan to have it at Thanksgiving basted in hard cider and
wrapped with bacon.
I have no doubt, but I frequently lack the spare coin, children in private school and all...
I do my own... After the first one or two you are usually set on gear. In cooking school we had a a demo of breaking down a side of beef. I also studied the Outdoor Edge butchering video, which includes deer and elk... Boning out a carcass simplifies butchering to a large extent. Roasts, steaks, burger and stew meat make themselves. You just have to be careful of letting anything go to waste. I have had no problems handling my meat [snicker], and because of careful handling I think I have avoided issues.
Hank Shaw's book is really, really good....
https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Moose-Techniques-Antelope-Antlered/dp/099694480X
I also want to bone an animal as much as possible, as I don't have a 4x4 or a RAZR side by side to get in there, so quarters and/or boned meat is how I get game out.
While I can tell the difference between ground elk, deer, and beef, the über picky wife and kids do not notice the difference. A month or so ago I pulled out a pound or so of ground elk from the freezer. I could tell it from the previous week's venison burgers, but the wife and kids would have sworn beef...
pat
I want to hear horror stories of terrible processors that returned ground meat that didn't even come from the same animal taken.
I have used a processor once. They did a beautiful job, but it took more than a month because it was hunting season, and they charged enough to buy some butchering equipment of my own. I already had enough knives, so really it was the dehydrator for jerky, and the vacuum sealer for everything else. I might get a grinder someday.
I no longer live in that state, and don’t know of a processor I’d trust near where I live or hunt, so I just do it myself. I grew up cutting up rabbit, chickens, squirrels, pheasants, etc at home and helping quarter other people’s game animals. Deer are just bigger than the stuff we got at/round home, and Coues are such a small deer, I can load quarters, backstraps, loins and side meat into one large Alice with the head tied to the frame. One load. Elk or moose, I might consider paying somebody to cut for me. Would depend on available time.
That’s the comparison I was thinking about too. I’m glad I know how to reload my own ammo, but it’s not how I like to spend my time now so I’ve just been buying factory ammo.
I think this is going to be the same, at least for now. Plus a butcher is going to be able to make much better sausage than I probably would.
Thanks everyone, all of the posts here were very helpful. You guys rock and this was a welcome distraction from the election.
More food for thought (hyuk)... Some of this depends on the game. It's one thing to do your own deer, a widely available animal that you can often get get several tags for and reliably restock annually. Same for birds. Other game that is less available, more expensive tags, draws/lotteries, years of waiting, or travel for is probably not the one to experiment on unless you're just going to donate.
الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب